Saturday, January 30, 2010

Join other "citizen scientists" in a national bird count

You can take part in a national bird count and you don't even have to leave your backyard if you don't want to, according to this website: Great Backyard Bird Count.

Here's a news release about the Feb. 12-15 event:

Bird watchers coast to coast are invited to take part in the 13th annual Great Backyard Bird Count, Friday, February 12, through Monday, February 15, 2010. Participants in the free event will join tens of thousands of volunteers counting birds in their own backyards, local parks or wildlife refuges.

Each checklist submitted by these "citizen scientists" helps researchers at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology,the National Audubon Society , and Bird Studies Canada learn more about how the birds are doing—and how to protect them. Last year, participants turned in more than 93,600 checklists online, creating the continent's largest instantaneous snapshot of bird populations ever recorded.

“Taking part in the Great Backyard Bird Count is a great way to get outside with family and friends, have fun, and help birds—all at the same time," said Audubon Education Vice President, Judy Braus. "Even if you can only identify a few species you can provide important information that enables scientists to learn more about how the environment is changing and how that affects our conservation priorities.”

Anyone can take part in the Great Backyard Bird Count, from novice bird watchers to experts. Participants count birds for as little as 15 minutes (or as long as they wish) on one or more days of the event and report their sightings online at www.birdcount.org. One 2009 participant said, “Thank you for the opportunity to participate in citizen science. I have had my eyes opened to a whole new interest and I love it!”

“The GBBC is a perfect first step towards the sort of intensive monitoring needed to discover how birds are responding to environmental change,” said Janis Dickinson, the director of Citizen Science at the Cornell Lab. “Winter is such a vulnerable period for birds, so winter bird distributions are likely to be very sensitive to change. There is only one way—citizen science—to gather data on private lands where people live and GBBC has been doing this across the continent for many years. GBBC has enormous potential both as an early warning system and in capturing and engaging people in more intensive sampling of birds across the landscape.”

Bird populations are always shifting and changing. For example, 2009 GBBC data highlighted a huge southern invasion of Pine Siskins across much of the eastern United States. Participants counted 279,469 Pine Siskins on 18,528 checklists, as compared to the previous high of 38,977 birds on 4,069 checklists in 2005. Failure of seed crops farther north caused the siskins to move south to find their favorite food.

On the www.birdcount.org website, participants can explore real-time maps and charts that show what others are reporting during the count. The site has tips to help identify birds and special materials for educators. Participants may also enter the GBBC photo contest by uploading images taken during the count. Many images will be featured in the GBBC website’s photo gallery. All participants are entered in a drawing for prizes that include bird feeders, binoculars, books, CDs, and many other great birding products.

In 2010, Bird Studies Canada (BSC) joins the GBBC as the program's Canadian partner. "Bird Studies Canada is delighted to be the Canadian partner for this extremely valuable program," said George Finney, President of BSC. "Participating in the GBBC is an excellent way for Canadians to reconnect with their love of nature and birds."

The Great Backyard Bird Count is made possible, in part, by generous support from Wild Birds Unlimited.

In related news, Ozark Rivers Audubon chapter will conduct a Winter Bird Survey and Chili Potluck lunch at White River Trace at 8 a.m. The chapter announces: "Mike Doyen and Salem bird artist David Plank will lead this super outing. We'll do a winter bird survey across the White River Trace. David Plank was birding and painting in the trace before it was a Conservation Area. Over a chili and potluck lunch, David will tell us about the history of the place when Bachman's sparrow was in residence. This will be a good opportunity for beginning birders to get good long looks at winter birds and hone their identification skills. For more information, call Mike at 341-0200 or mdoyen@yahoo.com."

The Ozark Rivers chapter meets at 7 p.m. every second Thursday of each month, September thru May, at the EUGENE E. NORTHERN COMMUNITY BUILDING, Rolla, MO. Occasionally, the meeting will be held elsewhere - these will be announced in the media and on our website calendar. There are no meetings in the months of June, July, and August.

For the Feb. 11 meeting, Dan Woodward will present a program on his "Little Foxes." Woodward, well-known Missouri artist, presents "pictures of a fox family that visits the back porch of his Phelps County home to eat gooseberry pie and perform other feats of audacity," according to an announcement.

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What We Believe

OUR CORE BELIEF:

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

John 14:6 NIV

OUR PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE:

Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

I Thessalonians 4:11-12 NIV

OUR MISSION:

The Ozarks Almanac strives to be a compendium of information for Ozarks residents and newcomers about life in this region, including skills in growing, preparing and storing food; using tools to build and make improvements to the home or outbuildings; enjoying homegrown music, literature and art, as well as appreciating the culture and heritage of the Ozarks; hunting, fishing, birding and enjoying the outdoors while conserving our regional resources, and serving the Lord by serving others and being good neighbors.